Parent is a cheap troll; the USA's market economy offers an insane amount of services and goods to consumers. As for "huge chunks" of the GDP, check out Welfare, Medicare/aid, and Social Security and then compare to defense and NASA spending.
Get a clue. Read some actual reports on Russian economy.
Russia still has regions living in extreme poverty, but as an overall economy it has had a year on year GDP grouth of 7+ for the third year running. So in fact economically, it has no problem in affording it.
OK, let's read an actual report about the Russian Federation's economy. Population below national poverty line: 25% GNI per capita US$2,140 GDP US$346.5 billion GDP Growth 4.3 %
Let's see, $346B is 1/5 that of England (half the population of Russia) and 1/30 of the USA. And per capita of $2k with 25% under national poverty is hardly a few poor regions. Large growth rates of something small is still not much. With all due respect to Russia's world class rocket science know-how, no, their government shouldn't be blowing money on this kind of thing it right now.
the Tablet PC, although they are still in their proverbial infancy
Hardly. I had an i386 based tablet PC back in the days. More correct to say that after all this time, tablet PCs are *still* the neglected children of the PC world. They still aren't replacements for good old pen and pad yet aren't as full of goodies as a full blown laptop. I suggest getting a regular laptop. There are smaller ones, if size and weight are strong considerations, that are far more useful in the long run than tablet PCs.
Even professional photographers couldn't possibly have a use for this instead of two 4GB disks.
If you're going to Alaska to take pics of bears, moose, and whales for three months then you'll want a bag full of these 8GB monsters. The top line Nikon has a buffer that lets you take up to 144 pics in a row by holding down the shutter button. At 5 megapixels, that will eat up any size CF module in a big hurry. You'll want to do that if you're covering a sporting event. They won't pause the game while you swap cards or use the preview to delete pictures you don't want in order to save storage space. And as an expense for the photographer's job, they're deductable anyway.
"Hire a Lawyer" has become a kneejerk reaction on Slashdot
In case you hadn't noticed, "sue them straight to the poorhouse" has become a kneejerk reaction in business in general. Since this person's personal business is on the line, getting professional advice is not just good advice; it's the best advice.
Look in the yellow pages under "laywers". Each lawyer's blurb will state what general topics they do best such as small business (a good choice), estate planning, etc. Avoid "If you've been injured, I can get you the cash you deserve!"
Are you assuming that your new place doesn't just come with either service? I bought a townhouse and was suprised to find that the HOA fee included a negotiated low rate for basic cable. Everyone in the subdivision gets it whether they use it or not. So have you asked about this possibility?
The United States sells almost three times as many goods to Canada, a market of 30 million people, as to Japan, a market of over 125 million. Canada is a larger market for US goods than all 15 members of the European Union combined.
You can make a point but it's credibility is weakened when your facts are incorrect.
but only $10 billion in the last year on foreign aid for the whole planet?
With very few exceptions for temporary climate problems, the rest of the world could take care of itself if not for the currupt dictatorial regimes who won't allow open markets.
While a modern English speaker can figure out Chaucer, Cantonese and Mandarin are almost completely different. Cantonese speakers cannot overhear a Mandarin conversation and figure it out. Chinese writing, on the other hand, is another story. Since it uses symbols, anyone who knows the symbols can read it regardless of which of the hundreds of spoken Chinese dialects they know. In fact, you don't even have to know any spoken Chinese to read it if you know the character set.
but Greenspan is really the one responciple for this
Guess how much money the Federal Reserve has on tap to buy and sell foreign currencies? Oh, about 60 billion. Sounds like a whopping huge amount? Well, now guess how much currency is exchanged per day in New York city financial institutions... about 1 trillion. Per day. So the Fed's entire working capital can affect 6% of the market for just one day. Sorry, government spending habit, in the long term, have an affect on exchange rates but central banks can't do much at all. In smaller economies with less volume on the market, they can, but the US, Japanese, and Europeans can't do much more than symbolic gestures.
How much does Microsoft get to declare as a tax deduction when it donates software?
Please see the first section, "What is fair market value?" at this IRS online publication: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p561.pdf The relevant sentence: "Fair market value (FMV)is the price that property would sell for on the open market." In other words, regular retail price.
a sick child that needs a vital operation is a sick child that needs a vital operation
Federal law prohibits withholding vital services from anyone unable to pay, so don't even try this line.
just because you haven't ended up working for an uncaring employer like Walmart
What is this "uncaring employer" nonsense??? This company has NOT ONLY subsidized health care but also PROFIT SHARING for even part time employees! There is NO LAW requiring EITHER of these but this company DOES IT ANYWAY. Yet you're bashing them just because it's a big company and they don't GIVE AWAY even more "free" benefits!
From Walmart's website: HEALTH BENEFITS
Our health plan covers most major medical expenses. The company contributes to the cost of health benefits and we offer affordable Associate plans. There is no limit for most health coverage. 60% of our Associates tell us they joined Wal-Mart because of our benefits. We also offer: Dental Coverage, Company-Paid and/or Dependent & Optional Life Insurance, Business Travel Accident Insurance, Long- and Short-Term Disability, Illness Protection Plan
PROFIT SHARING All Wal-Mart Associates become eligible to share in the company's profits through our Profit Sharing Program, after one year and 1,000 hours of service. This is funded entirely by Wal-Mart and is primarily invested in Wal-Mart stock. Both Full-Time and Part-Time Associates are eligible to share in Wal-Mart profits.Which part of subsidized health care and profit sharing just isn't enough? How much more handouts do you want?
From Walmart's audited 2003 annual report: Income tax paid (Amounts in millions)$ 4,462
Since Medicare and Medicade made up 24% of the 2003 Federal budget, Walmart paid for just over $1 billion toward these programs. Please see your would-be snipe about needing, but not affording, vital operations.
That's all very fine to want to live in a socialist dreamland where companies have to pay higher salaries and benefits than employees contribute and/or the government provides health care for "free". Meanwhile, here in the real world, if you don't like your situation then you'd better improve yourself instead of crying for a handout.
While working at Walmart for lousy wages get a Federal student loan and go to your local community college. If anyone wants to live the lifestyle of a higher salary range then get some marketable skills. Walmart pays bananas because any monkey can be taught to beep bar codes over a scanner.
Slashdot Mirror
Parent is a cheap troll; the USA's market economy offers an insane amount of services and goods to consumers. As for "huge chunks" of the GDP, check out Welfare, Medicare/aid, and Social Security and then compare to defense and NASA spending.
Get a clue.
Read some actual reports on Russian economy.
Russia still has regions living in extreme poverty, but as an overall economy it has had a year on year GDP grouth of 7+ for the third year running. So in fact economically, it has no problem in affording it.
OK, let's read an actual report about the Russian Federation's economy.
Population below national poverty line: 25%
GNI per capita US$2,140
GDP US$346.5 billion
GDP Growth 4.3 %
Let's see, $346B is 1/5 that of England (half the population of Russia) and 1/30 of the USA. And per capita of $2k with 25% under national poverty is hardly a few poor regions. Large growth rates of something small is still not much. With all due respect to Russia's world class rocket science know-how, no, their government shouldn't be blowing money on this kind of thing it right now.
the Tablet PC, although they are still in their proverbial infancy
Hardly. I had an i386 based tablet PC back in the days. More correct to say that after all this time, tablet PCs are *still* the neglected children of the PC world. They still aren't replacements for good old pen and pad yet aren't as full of goodies as a full blown laptop. I suggest getting a regular laptop. There are smaller ones, if size and weight are strong considerations, that are far more useful in the long run than tablet PCs.
If even you don't know what it's good for
:D
Not only not know what it's good for but also:
What combination of computers, network adapters, and software
...doesn't know what network adapters are needed to do it in the first place...
We've got too many of them already
It's not that there are too many of them, it's just that they aren't as happy as they should be to be gammas.
Even professional photographers couldn't possibly have a use for this instead of two 4GB disks.
If you're going to Alaska to take pics of bears, moose, and whales for three months then you'll want a bag full of these 8GB monsters. The top line Nikon has a buffer that lets you take up to 144 pics in a row by holding down the shutter button. At 5 megapixels, that will eat up any size CF module in a big hurry. You'll want to do that if you're covering a sporting event. They won't pause the game while you swap cards or use the preview to delete pictures you don't want in order to save storage space. And as an expense for the photographer's job, they're deductable anyway.
That'll make everyone's jobs much easier
It will, really, since back when I worked general public customer service I was told to just hang up on anyone who used foul language.
"Hire a Lawyer" has become a kneejerk reaction on Slashdot
In case you hadn't noticed, "sue them straight to the poorhouse" has become a kneejerk reaction in business in general. Since this person's personal business is on the line, getting professional advice is not just good advice; it's the best advice.
Look in the yellow pages under "laywers". Each lawyer's blurb will state what general topics they do best such as small business (a good choice), estate planning, etc. Avoid "If you've been injured, I can get you the cash you deserve!"
Can they really assert that you agree to all the terms that you didn't get until *after* you've made the purchase?
Are you assuming that your new place doesn't just come with either service? I bought a townhouse and was suprised to find that the HOA fee included a negotiated low rate for basic cable. Everyone in the subdivision gets it whether they use it or not. So have you asked about this possibility?
Please see: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/can-am/menu-en.asp?mi d=1&cat=1029
The United States sells almost three times as many goods to Canada, a market of 30 million people, as to Japan, a market of over 125 million. Canada is a larger market for US goods than all 15 members of the European Union combined.
You can make a point but it's credibility is weakened when your facts are incorrect.
but only $10 billion in the last year on foreign aid for the whole planet?
With very few exceptions for temporary climate problems, the rest of the world could take care of itself if not for the currupt dictatorial regimes who won't allow open markets.
they're as different as Cantonese and Mandarin
While a modern English speaker can figure out Chaucer, Cantonese and Mandarin are almost completely different. Cantonese speakers cannot overhear a Mandarin conversation and figure it out. Chinese writing, on the other hand, is another story. Since it uses symbols, anyone who knows the symbols can read it regardless of which of the hundreds of spoken Chinese dialects they know. In fact, you don't even have to know any spoken Chinese to read it if you know the character set.
our economy would notice, for one -- the European Union being our largest trading partner
Who the heck is your 'our'? You're not in the USA, since our (I *am* in the USA) largest trading partner is Canada.
The Karma sutra was written by Vatsyayana sometime between the 1st and 6th century AD
Sun Wu's Art of Warfare beats this by at least 400 years.
I shewe the under full light reules and naked wordes in Englissh, for Latyn ne canst thou yit but small
Don't know about the rest of you, but I canst yit but small the English, nevermind any Latin.
but Greenspan is really the one responciple for this
Guess how much money the Federal Reserve has on tap to buy and sell foreign currencies? Oh, about 60 billion. Sounds like a whopping huge amount? Well, now guess how much currency is exchanged per day in New York city financial institutions... about 1 trillion. Per day. So the Fed's entire working capital can affect 6% of the market for just one day. Sorry, government spending habit, in the long term, have an affect on exchange rates but central banks can't do much at all. In smaller economies with less volume on the market, they can, but the US, Japanese, and Europeans can't do much more than symbolic gestures.
If the govt. could do what you just described they could come up with some arbitrary value
Hey, I just quoted directly from the IRS's own publications; there's no "if" to it!
How much does Microsoft get to declare as a tax deduction when it donates software?
Please see the first section, "What is fair market value?" at this IRS online publication: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p561.pdf
The relevant sentence: "Fair market value (FMV)is the price that property would sell for on the open market." In other words, regular retail price.
Microsoft is donating a pile of software ... attempting to hook the Third World on Microsoft software.
Umm, would you instead expect them to donate Linux?
a sick child that needs a vital operation is a sick child that needs a vital operation
Federal law prohibits withholding vital services from anyone unable to pay, so don't even try this line.
just because you haven't ended up working for an uncaring employer like Walmart
What is this "uncaring employer" nonsense??? This company has NOT ONLY subsidized health care but also PROFIT SHARING for even part time employees! There is NO LAW requiring EITHER of these but this company DOES IT ANYWAY. Yet you're bashing them just because it's a big company and they don't GIVE AWAY even more "free" benefits!
From Walmart's website:
HEALTH BENEFITS
Our health plan covers most major medical expenses. The company contributes to the cost of health benefits and we offer affordable Associate plans. There is no limit for most health coverage. 60% of our Associates tell us they joined Wal-Mart because of our benefits. We also offer:
Dental Coverage, Company-Paid and/or Dependent & Optional Life Insurance, Business Travel Accident Insurance, Long- and Short-Term Disability, Illness Protection Plan
PROFIT SHARING
All Wal-Mart Associates become eligible to share in the company's profits through our Profit Sharing Program, after one year and 1,000 hours of service. This is funded entirely by Wal-Mart and is primarily invested in Wal-Mart stock. Both Full-Time and Part-Time Associates are eligible to share in Wal-Mart profits.Which part of subsidized health care and profit sharing just isn't enough? How much more handouts do you want?
From Walmart's audited 2003 annual report:
Income tax paid (Amounts in millions)$ 4,462
Since Medicare and Medicade made up 24% of the 2003 Federal budget, Walmart paid for just over $1 billion toward these programs. Please see your would-be snipe about needing, but not affording, vital operations.
Enough socialist ranting from you, please!
That's all very fine to want to live in a socialist dreamland where companies have to pay higher salaries and benefits than employees contribute and/or the government provides health care for "free". Meanwhile, here in the real world, if you don't like your situation then you'd better improve yourself instead of crying for a handout.
They already get shit for pay
While working at Walmart for lousy wages get a Federal student loan and go to your local community college. If anyone wants to live the lifestyle of a higher salary range then get some marketable skills. Walmart pays bananas because any monkey can be taught to beep bar codes over a scanner.
and forgive the occasional "dud."
And then there are people who buy the Honor Harrington series...